Posts Tagged ‘gm contract’

GM and UAW officials shown on July 13, 2015 marking the opening of contract talk.

Workers at both Ford Motor Co. and General Motors voted to accept each of their new four-year contract offers, in the process ending what had turned into an unexpectedly contentious round of negotiations – workers at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles soundly rejecting their own first contract offer.

A variety of offers pitted not only the United Auto Workers Union against Detroit’s Big Three but also saw the UAW having to fend off more militant members of the union. Starting with President Dennis Williams on down, Autoworkers leaders mobilized to sell a revised Chrysler contract. But they continued to run into trouble even with more lucrative offers from GM and Ford.

Labor News!

At the smaller of the two, 51.3% of production workers and 52.4% of Ford’s skilled tradesmen voted for the contract. Among other things, that vote will earn 53,000 Ford workers ratification bonuses of $8,500.

“Through a fair and democratic process UAW-Ford members have delivered job security and strong economic gains for their families and communities,” said Jimmy Settles, vice president of the UAW’s Ford department.

General Motors and the United Auto Workers Union reached tentative agreement on a new four-year labor contract Sunday only minutes before the UAW’s midnight strike deadline.

While neither side would discuss details before a meeting of the union’s rank-and-file plant leaders, it was expected the tentative contract would adhere closely to the so-called “pattern” agreement at Fiat Chrysler that won worker approval last week.

The Full Story!

“We believe that this agreement will present stable long-term, significant wage gains and job security commitments to UAW members now and in the future,” said UAW President Dennis Williams. “We look forward to presenting the details of these gains to local union leaders and the membership.”

Days after coming to terms with Ford Motor Co., the Canadian Auto Workers Union has reached a settlement with General Motors heading off a potentially costly strike.

Despite concerns that GM would demand a unique settlement it largely settled for the same pattern contract negotiated with Ford earlier in the week. That leaves only Chrysler to settle on a new 4-year agreement – though the maker has consistently argued it needs to break pattern and come up with a contract that reflects its own unique needs.

The agreement will result in GM getting some significant concessions on labor costs but also ensure that no senior workers are on layoff for the first time in two decades. The maker has also agreed to significant new investments at two key Canadian GM plants.

Members of the United Auto Workers Union have ratified their new four-year labor agreement with Chrysler Group LLC but also opened the door to protests inside the company that union leaders could find difficult to control.

The new agreement covers approximately 26,000 hourly and salaried workers employed by Chrysler in the U.S.

The vote tally was released barely a week after Ford workers approved their own contract by a two-to-one majority. At Chrysler the results were significantly closer, the “Yes” vote totaling only 55%. And even then, the union had to resort to a procedural maneuver after skilled tradesmen voted down their portion of the contract by 69 percent to 31 percent.

Power Up!

“Because a majority of UAW skilled trades members voted against the tentative hourly agreement, under the UAW Constitution, the UAW International Executive Board (IEB) investigated the reasons skilled members voted against the proposed agreement and determined that these reasons were predominantly economic and not unique to skilled trades members. Accordingly, the IEB declared the agreements ratified under the UAW Constitution,” the union said in a statement.

The settlement is expected to see Ford add production of the next-generation Fusion - its design based on this Evos Concept -- at a plant in suburban Detroit, saving thousands of jobs.

Ford and the United Auto Workers Union have reached a tentative settlement covering the automaker’s U.S. hourly workers. The two sides are expected to hail the development as a critical step in maintaining the competitiveness of the domestic auto industry – and bringing jobs back.

The agreement comes more than two weeks after the UAW was able to hammer out an agreement with General Motors and is expected to follow the pattern of the GM agreement. That would mean substantial bonuses and a small raise for tier-two workers currently earning about half as much as veterans on the line.

News Now! Stay in the Know!

But Ford is also expected to benefit from the agreement, as did GM, through terms designed to improve productivity and offset any added costs. That is expected to result in the addition of new union jobs, while also helping Ford keep open a plant in the Detroit suburbs many had expected might close.

Ford officials will outline their view of the agreement during a news conference this morning, UAW leaders following several hours later. TheDetroitBureau.com will have coverage following those events.

UAW Pres. Bob King shakes hands with Ford Chairman Bill Ford as negotiations open in July.

Are Ford and the United Auto Workers Union ready to announce a deal on a new 4-year contract?

There are certainly signs that an agreement is at hand, the UAW calling senior local leaders to Detroit for a Tuesday morning meeting that sources indicate will be used to discuss a tentative agreement. The likely settlement is expected to at least match the gains both General Motors and the union each claimed in the settlement they reached last month – though Ford is also expected to provide a slightly larger bonus to its hourly employees.

Be in the Know!

Negotiations, meanwhile, continue at Chrysler, though there are indications the two sides have hit some significant stumbling blocks over issues that include a desired up-front “signing bonus,” as well as an increase in wages for second-tier hourly employees currently earning just half of what veteran Chrysler employees get.

UAW President Bob King confirmed the GM contract had been ratified by a 2-1 margin.

The United Auto Workers Union’s rank-and-file has approved a new four-year contract with General Motors by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.

The new four-year contract is effective immediately and also is expected to lead to the creation of 6,500 new jobs over the next couple of years at GM plants in the U.S. – perhaps more as it may prompt GM to bring work back to the U.S. from Mexico and Canada.

The final vote tally was 65% in favor of the agreement among production workers, and 63% in favor among skilled trades workers. Retirees, many of whom were angered by contract lack of pension improvements, were not eligible to vote.

Get the Complete Story!

The vote in favor of the contract while more than enough to ensure passage was actually low by historical standards, indicating a sizeable number of union members were dissatisfied with the pact. And it suggests the union could face rugged ratification votes after it settles contracts with Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC

United Auto Workers Union negotiators have intensified talks with the Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC as the union pushes for settlements with both automakers.

Obstacles, however, remain including the union’s desire to win a larger signing bonus than at GM, which agreed to a $5,000 one-time payment in a tentative agreement finalized earlier this month.

The GM agreement, meanwhile, appears to be winning solid support among the rank-and-file despite concerns about the continuation of an unpopular two-tier wage program that nets new employees barely half what veteran line workers earn.

News Now! Stay in the Know!

The UAW has put a focus on wrapping up Ford’s contract as soon as possible taking advantage of the relatively good relationship the two sides have long enjoyed. But negotiations are also moving forward at Chrysler despite recent news reports suggesting those talks were put on hold as the result of a dispute between CEO Sergio Marchionne and union President Bob King.

UAW Pres. Bob King shakes hands with Ford Chairman Bill Ford as negotiations open in July.

The United Auto Workers union plans to make Ford Motor Co. the focus of the next round of negotiations in its drive to fashion new contracts with domestic automakers as talks with Chrysler are placed on hold.

Chrysler officials have confirmed that the UAW has extended the maker’s contract until October 19th. Earlier this month, as the September 14th deadline loomed, there were signs Chrysler might, in fact, be the maker likely to come up with the first settlement with the UAW. But a last-minute snag appeared to scuttle the talks and the union went on to reach agreement with General Motors.

News Now!

“We look forward to working with the UAW on a new tentative agreement that is fair to our employees and allows Ford to become more competitive,” Ford said in a statement late Wednesday.

The new GM contract will bring the reopening of the shuttered Spring Hill, TN plant -- and the addition of over 6,000 jobs.

General Motors Co. is obligated to reopen its assembly plant in Spring Hill, Tenn. under the terms of its tentative new labor agreement with the United Auto Workers Union.

Union officials also said Tuesday they expect the new four-year GM contract — which is worth $12,000 per employee over the life of the agreement — will serve as the pattern for new labor pacts with both Chrysler Group and Ford Motor Co. But which of those makers will be targeted next remains uncertain.

Your High-Powered News Source!

“In these uncertain economic times for American workers and faced with the globalization of the economy, the UAW approached these negotiations with new strategies and fought for and achieved some of our major goals for our members, “ said UAW president Bob King after the agreement was endorsed unanimously by the union’s GM council.

The agreement includes a $5,000 signing bonus due upon ratification by 48,000 GM worker s. In addition, workers will receive a $1,000 lump sum payment, each year starting in 2012 to cover any increase in the cost of living — and an annual bonus of $250 bonus if certain quality targets are met.